Buju Banton arrested on a federal drug charge [Updated]

First, reggae singer Buju Banton was in the news this month because of his best reggae album Grammy nomination. More on that later.

Now Banton, a Jamaican performer whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, is in federal prison in Miami, the Miami Herald reports.

He's been in custody since Thursday, arrested on a charge of conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute, more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, a DEA spokesman said.

[Update, 10:27 a.m., Dec. 14, 2009: Banton allegedly attempted to buy cocaine from an undercover officer in Miami, the Associated Press reports.

According to court documents, Banton and two others contacted a police informant last week about buying cocaine in Sarasota. Drug Enforcement Administration agents say Banton negotiated the purchase and was observed inspecting cocaine offered by the undercover officer. The other men were also arrested Thursday when they allegedly attempted to buy the drugs.

Banton's record label has not commented on his arrest.]

[Read the Ministry's Dec. 15 follow-up post: "More details emerge in the Buju Banton drug case"]

Why the controversy -- one of many for the singer -- over the Grammy nod for his ninth album, "Rasta Got Soul"? Because of lyrics from the early part of his repertoire that advocated violence against gays -- an idea that's not anywhere close to new in Jamaica.

His reps told the Herald in September that criticism against Banton wasn't valid, because he'd stopped singing the song "Boom Bye Bye" -- but in an October sit-down with members of San Francisco's gay community, one activist saw "little movement on his part."

[For the record, 10:01 p.m., Dec. 13, 2009: An earlier version of this post had the name of Buju Banton's song as "Boom Boom Bye." The song's title is "Boom Bye Bye." Hat tip to commenter Kirby for making sure we get it right./cdz]

Though Banton is being held in Miami, the case in question is based in Tampa, Fla., where he will be transferred.

If convicted, he faces as many as 20 years in prison.

[Update, 9:56 a.m., Dec. 14, 2009: The Palm Beach Post reports that Banton is scheduled to appear today (Monday) in a Tampa court. Positive quotes from Buju at the Oct. 12, 2009, sit-down in San Francisco can be found here. A video of an Oct. 26, 2009, performance including the quote "There is no end to the war between me and (gays)" can be found on YouTube (we can't link directly because of the language involved). Also, here is an example of an unrelated drug trafficking case in which several people were charged with "conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute," for those unfamiliar with the charge.

If more details come out of court today, the Ministry will update again. Thanks for reading and for commenting. We're trying to get all the comments up -- just please comment without profanity.]

-- Christie D'Zurilla

P.S. If you comment, please remember that the Ministry has a zero-tolerance policy on profanity, including using **'s and --'s and other filter-tricking tactics (I'm the filter, so I can figure all that out). Just a friendly warning, in the interest of getting those comments published!/cdz

Photo: Buju Banton in 2006 at the Century Club in L.A. That show had to be moved from the Highlands in Hollywood because of a protest over the singer's anti-gay reputation. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times.

The Ministry has other dispatches with an LGBT or celebrity justice vibe -- just click those links.

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Comments

[warren]

is this an arrest on a drug charge or is he being charged for being anti gay because all the info i read is about him being anti gay

[DTM]

great comment warren. you're a real thinker

i think the point is that buju has some issues going on in his life currently....

[Bill]

Why do such bad things always happen to such good people?

[tim]

Didn't Wayne read about the 5 kilos of cocaine ?

[Theresa]

someone is setting up the banton. they need to leave him alone. dont worry buju you're in my prayers

[silky]

If Buju is guilty then he deserves whatever is coming to him, but i honestly believe that this is all because of his freedom of speech,about what he believes in,it's all because he is anti-gay.

[jamaicarock]

yeah a this the batty boy dem want long time free up the man

[Ben]

Yeah I agree! This article seems to focus on the fact that he's anti-gay; what was he charged with? Drug possesion or being anti-gay? and who wrote this article? Are you gay?

[michael]

This is all a set up,uncle sam is good for doing that,just like what they did to michael jackson,mike tyson and so on.If your black and stand up for what is right in america,this is what happen to you.Stand strong buju,god will take care of you.

[June williams]

Warren You hit the nail on its head. He is clearly framed by the Gay people just like Ms. California. These gay people are so vindictive and wicked!!! nuff said

[Mikey P]

I agree with Warren, a little too much information about the "anti gay"

[dean]

Probabley he was set up because he is anti gay and if he did do it, i'm disappointed in him. That would be greed on his part.

[Kirby]

It's Boom Bye Bye. Not Boom Boom Bye. The man is charged with coke. Levae the baty man ish out of it.

[kim]

This does not make any sense..Buju does not need to buy or sell coke..THIS WAS A SET UP...

[Kim]

Confusion, I can see what the wicked men are doing. Did he get caught w/ cocaine b/c he's charged w/ conspiracy n intent. This sounds like a SET-UP, false charges. Yuh cyan lick out pon gays n survive in America as a public figga!

[Sam Kestu]

"Boom Bye Bye" calls for gays to be shot in the head, shot with an Uzi, have acid thrown on them and to be burned like an old tire. Buju actually apologized for the song in 1992. Then he continued to perform the song until at least 2004. To his credit, he has been performing the song much less and maybe has never performed the song in the U.S.

He has never distanced himself from the song which is a paraphrase of Leviticus 20:13. When challenged about his intense homophobia he points to the churches and their teachings. He is a deeply religious man, a Rastafarian, and includes religious songs in his performance repertory.

He does have a new anti gay routine. This one ends with "there is no end to the war between me and [derogatory term for gays]." He didn't perform this routine on his 2009 tour, but there is a video of the routine on YouTube performed in New Jersey in 2008. (@Ritz Theater).

Judging from the intensity and the seriousness of Buju Banton in recorded performances of the new routine, he is as virulently homophobic now as he was in 1992 when the song was released.

As you mention, this intense and violent homophobia is not unusual for reggae dancehall performers from Jamaica. See "Dancehall Dossier" at http://tinyurl.com/2xax3b

In 2004 Buju Banton was convicted for a marijuana drug offense in Jamaica. That resulted in Banton being banned from the U.S. for one year.

There's much more at http://cancelbujubanton.wetpaint.com/
and http://tinyurl.com/ye8paw2 "Murder inna Dancehall"

[Henry]

I dont think he his guilty!!

[Josh]

What does a federal drug charge have to do with lyrics from a song that advocate gay violence. Did you need a reason to address a personal agenda and the drug charge gave you a chance to express your personal vendetta. This site seems less and less news worthy with each article.

[Fordy]

Im pretty sure Buju is being framed here. If the gays had done their homework, they would know A. Buju has not performed an anti-gay song in a decade and B. Rastafarians don't traffic cocaine, they traffic marijuana. Sadly gays control the instruments of power in our society and they're taking over the globe. They cannot be stopped. See you in 20 years Buju.

[Hope]

Well to me someting very FISHY about the whole thing ..he jus got nominated for a grammy this must have gotten all the gay rights groups very upset ..they been fighting him for more than 20 yrs Now ..+ this is a man never been convicted of a crime never charged with a crime ... why the hell would he do this NOW .. seems waaaay left feild CoCO ..Buju .. hmm .. its sad .. sad for me and sad for my children .. I feel Heterosexuals need to unite so our voices can be heard .. we are the major but if we dont unite we will become the MINOR .. THE MEDIA CONTROLS THE WORLD ...OPEN UR EYES .. U R BEING PROGRAMED U JUS DONT KNO IT YET.. and who u think controls the media ... "THINK".... tell Malcolm and Marcus "here we go again".

[Anti Religion Anti Gay]

this is to say the least an interesting scenario, who knows, maybe the gay community has an agenda to single out and retaliate against self professed anti gay persons. I myself stand behind Mr. Myrie (Buju Banton) 100% whether or not he is guilty of drug possesion, I will love and respect him no less...atleast he is not gay!!!

Cordially,

Mr. Anti Religion, Anti-Gay

[Myndi]

Rastas (real Rastas) don't get mixed up with those drugs. If he were incarcerated for marijuana then I would understand, but for cocaine? This just don't sound right.

[spydahlynch]

this is not clear no details what ever it is buju is right allll the way!

[russ]

Very interesting. "Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute..." what kind of charge is that? Was he "thinking" about possessing some coke, and the feds read his mind?

Battyman run America, so this is not surprising - if you don't do what they say they will do whatever it takes to get you....

[Just Sayin]

Whatever the charges may be I think it's important to remember the man is innocent until proven guilty and the D.A. Office will have to prove their case in a court of law.

As for the man's character - absolutely nothing in his past (in reference to the charges bought upon him) leads to any telling conclusion that he would engage in this kind of illicit activity. As for the man's views on/about homosexuality - I don't draw the correlation in why it's being presented so prominently in the article. If the man was so evil as members of those groups claim he wouldn't have a career this long, instead the complete opposite with a grammy nod to boot.